Asia

November 4, 2016 @ 9:30 am By Jessica Pham  |  

The Government of Singapore is inviting startups, tech companies, investors, and banks to its inaugural Singapore FinTech Festival between November 14-18. Events will include a Hackcelerator Demo Day, the FinTech Awards, and a speakers expo. Finalists competing in the FinTech Awards had been busy implementing… Read More

November 4, 2016 @ 7:58 am By JD Alois  |  

Privately held investment firm Senjo Group has relocated its corporate headquarters to Singapore in recognition of Singapore’s growing influence in the Fintech sector. Representatives said the business-friendly environment and focus on financial innovation was key in their decision to lease the entire 56th floor of… Read More

November 3, 2016 @ 11:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) of Korea has clamped down on peer to peer lending.  According to a report in Korea Joongang Daily, the Commission has enacted harsh rules that limit the amount an investor may commit to peer to peer lender in a given… Read More

November 3, 2016 @ 10:19 pm By JD Alois  |  

Fundnel, a funding ecoystem based in Singpore, has received a provisional Capital Markets Services (CMS) licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Fundnel said this was the first issued by MAS for any private investing platform.  Receipt of the licence allows Fundnel to market… Read More

November 3, 2016 @ 11:23 am By Erin Hobey  |  

More than half of all banking customers have turned to fintech startups to cater for their financial needs, according to a global survey by Capgemini. But despite the considerable momentum enjoyed by niche providers, overall trust remains a key barrier to more widespread adoption. The World… Read More

November 3, 2016 @ 8:12 am By JD Alois  |  

Malaysia’s EthisKapital has claimed the world’s first licensed Islamic P2P/Crowdfunding platform. The Securities Commission Malaysia awarded six peer to peer licenses, one of which is the world’s first license for Shari’ah-compliant P2P finance. EthisKapital will be focused on funding small businesses and real estate development projects…. Read More

November 3, 2016 @ 7:48 am By JD Alois  |  

FundedByMe Malaysia has been awarded one of six licenses to operate as a “peer to peer” finance platform in Malaysia.  The announcement came during the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) conference: SCxSC. Berhormat Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani, the Second Finance Minister of Malaysia, made the announcement… Read More

November 2, 2016 @ 11:28 am By Xu Gao  |  

In Response to Lending Cap Regulations, More & More Chinese P2P Platforms Start to Transfer to Financial Asset Exchanges In August, the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) issued rules for the online lending industry and set lending caps for both individual and business peer to… Read More

November 1, 2016 @ 2:45 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Alibaba’s financial affiliate Ant Financial has reportedly invested in and has formed a strategic partnership with Thailand-based fintech company, Ascend Money. This news comes just a few months after the company previously planned to acquire 20% in Ascend Money. According to CNBC, the companies revealed that… Read More

November 1, 2016 @ 4:31 am By Erin Hobey  |  

  Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company (ASTRI) have jointly launched the HSBC-ASTRI Research and Development Innovation Laboratory (RDI Lab). The Lab seeks to boost research and technology implementation within the financial industry as… Read More

October 30, 2016 @ 7:48 pm By JD Alois  |  

Wangdaizhijia (or wdzj.com), an alternative finance news and data platform in China, has published two interesting reports on the state of internet finance in the largest altfi market in the world. The first document focuses on peer to peer lending. The second publication is on… Read More

October 26, 2016 @ 2:55 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

Singapore-Based Bambu announced that Aki Ranin will join Bambu as its Chief Operating Officer, brings more than 15 years of technology experience to his new role. He will report to Ned Phillips, Bambu’s Founder and CEO. “Through joining Bambu I will boost the team’s ability to… Read More

October 26, 2016 @ 1:11 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

Short-term working capital provider KredX, which helps small businesses get short-term working capital by discounting their unpaid invoices, has raised $6.25 Million in Series A round of funding. The funding round was led by Sequoia Capital India and the company’s existing investor, Prime Venture Partners. The fresh funds will… Read More

October 26, 2016 @ 12:52 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

From your scooter to mine in less than two days?  Mumbai-based fintech startup CreditMate has raised $500K from the India Quotient VC fund. Founded this year by Jonathan Bill and Aditya Singh, CreditMate is an online lending platform focused on the used motorbike and scooter market in India.  The platforms aims to provide affordable loans for… Read More

October 26, 2016 @ 9:37 am By Xu Gao  |  

China Blockchain Development Forum Established in Beijing On October 18th, the China Blockchain Development Forum and first developer conference opened in Beijing. Apart from launching a white paper about blockchain technology and application, the forum is also aimed at standardizing the development process and creating… Read More

October 25, 2016 @ 8:32 am By Erin Hobey  |  

No transaction fees until 2017! The India-based online recharge and mobile wallet company MobiKwik announced that it is waving its per transaction fee for all unorganized retail merchants until December 31 to promote the adoption of e-cash among the local grocery stores, chemists, apparel stores… Read More

October 24, 2016 @ 10:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

CoAssets Limited (ASX: CA8), a Singapore-based crowdfunding platform and even organizer, is partnering with the Linca Group, with the support of the Fuzhou district government, to bring their EPIC series to Fuzhou, China. Entitled “One Belt, One Road – Infinite Possibilities”, the Expo in Property, Investing and… Read More

October 24, 2016 @ 4:42 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Mizuho Bank recently announced the opening of its innovation center, which will be located in the Fintech Center of Tokyo Finolab. The company stated the center would be jointly operated by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd., Dentsu Inc., and Information Services International–Dentsu, Ltd. Mizuho reported that… Read More

October 24, 2016 @ 9:08 am By JD Alois  |  

The Korean Financial Services Commission (KFSC) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have signed a “cooperation agreement” to provide a framework to work together on Fintech initiatives.  Acdording to MAS, under the agreement the two agencies will explore potential joint innovation projects on technologies… Read More

October 23, 2016 @ 6:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with the National Standardization Committee, Chinese Blockchain Technology and others have published a white-paper on Blockchain technology. The document has been in the works since this past August. The Bank of England stated recently that 24… Read More